So, I set out to find out just for myself what exactly the Bible said about Pornography, sexual addiction and just lust in general.
This post is Part 1 of a Two part series.
Pornography is....
1. A Corporation
In the United States alone, porngoraphy is a $10 million business.
Pornography, by definition, is any material-video, pictures, literature, TV ads, TV shows, etc.-that is designed to and intended to arouse and excite.
And, in case you have somehow not noticed, it is EVERYWHERE.
It's in the lines at the grocery store. it's at the movie store-hidden in PG movies, even-and on the television scree. It's in our music.
Pornography has invaded every culture, every race, eery country, every gender in every corner in the world.
It has even invaded the church.
Every man on the face of this planet struggles with lust.
James 1:14 "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed."
1 Corinthians 10:13a "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man:..."
Ecclesiastes 1:9b "...there is no new thing under the sun."
2. A Counterfeit
The images and scenes contained in pornography-while mistaken for "true love"- are a mere black-and-white copy of the love of Christ.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"4. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
5. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
6. Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
7. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
8. Charity never faileth..."
The "love" portrayed in pornography is simply lust. It is a selfish love that satisfies for only a brief moment.
James 4:2a "Ye lust and have not..."
The best example of true love is Christ.
He sacrificed His life for us, even when we constantly rejected Him and hated Him.
For more information about this, see the page to the left entitled, "How to Know God."
3. Corrosive
For all the men and women who act in pornographic movies--and that's exactly what they are doing. Go to www.blazinggrace.org/cms/bg/truthbehindfantasyporn for a former porn actress' testimony.
Pornography corrodes and just completely destroys what little self-worth and self-respect they had in the first place.
For those who view pornography, it corrodes EVERY meaningful relationship in your life. Whether it's God, your spouse, your kids, family or friends, EVERY relationship suffers.
And, in general, Pornography just degrades all women. Through even just advertising today, women are portrayed as nothing more than sex objects, here only for a man's pleasure.
Women are SO much more than that.
They are the most beautiful, graceful, intelligent, emotional and just completely complex creatures that God EVER created.
James 1:15 "Then when lust hat conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
James 4:5 "Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?"
4. Coveteousness
Probably one of the main reasons that pornography is so destructive to relationships is that, essentially, it is lust and lust is wanting somthing- whether you have a right to it or not- and taking it. It is rape of the worst kind.
When you watch pornography, youare essentially raping the women and/or men that you watch. By viewing them, you are takeing something from them that only their spouses have a right to.
And, in return, you are giving them something that only your spouse has a right to.
By the way, for those of you who aren't married and are looking at and/or addicted to pornography, you are destroying a marriage that hasn't even had a chance yet. You are destroying a family that hasn't come into existence. Dooming your future wife, kids, and even grandkids to a life of pain and hurt. The problem will NOT go away when you say, "I do".
By looking at pornography, you are raising your expectations for your first sexual experience to something a real woman could never meet-and shouldn't have to. Pornography is simply a fantasy experience, not something that would ever happen. That's why it's an addiction. You just need more and more to achieve the same state of arousal.
James 4:2 "Ye lust, and have not..."
Romans 7:7b "for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."
5. A Chasm
Every man or woman who has ever been addicted to ANYthing can attest to the fact that they never WANTED to become and addict. It all began with one beer, one cigarette, on joint, one line of Coke.
Or One Look.
But that's all it takes.
Lust is NEVER satisfied.
I know I've already used the verse, but it bears repeating.
James 4:2 "Ye lust, and have not..."
Or, listen to this "Spiral of Degradation" [ See At At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry
Chapter Two ] in Romans 1:21-28"21. Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22.Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.
23. And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves.
25. Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27. And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knoledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.
29. Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, coveteousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30. Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things disobedient to parents,
31. Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:"
In At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry
, the author, Steve Gallagher, mentions a 7-Step Spiral of Degradation.1. Failure to Glorify God (vs 21 "Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God,"
2.Loss of a Grateful Spirit (vs 21 "neither were thankful;")
3.The Darkening Heart (vs 21 "but became vain in thier imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.")
I would like to point out that this step began in their mind. In their vain imaginations. A Sexual Addiction ALWAYS begins in the mind. Thinking about looking or doing something that you know you shouldn't. The allure of the forbidden.
4.Suppression of Truth (vs 22 "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,"
5.Tightening of the Chain (vs 24 "Where fore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves."
6.Given Over (vs. 26 "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections")
I believe that this is the saddest verse in the entire Bible. After trying so hard to help them and after being rejected for so long, God let them have what they wanted. He took his hand of protection off of them.
KEEP IN MIND!!! - This does NOT mean that he stopped loving them. He simply stopped fighting them.
7.Filled With All Unrighteousness (vs 29-30 "Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, coveteousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30. Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things disobedient to parents,
31. Without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:"
What started with a failure to Glorify God eventually turned into an entire city turning into the worst sort of sinners imaginable. Sexual addiction is a "slippery slope". It is a black hole that sucks you in and steals everything from you.
For me, it started with something as "soft-core" as the underwear and swimsuit section of the JCPenney catalogue. Over a period of about six years, the addiction took root and grew to hard-core lesbian pornography.
Where do you draw the line? Where do you say, "Well, this level is ok, but I just won't look at the triple-x site"? If you find yourself saying something like this, this blog is just for you.
Pornography is hell on earth.
Literally.
It is a bottomless pit.
6. Confining
Mark 4:19 "And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful."
As I said before, pornography takes you from every meaningful relationship in your life. It is impossible to be close to anyone when you are spending so much effort and energy into something that doesn't exist. When viewing something as emotionless as porn in which people are just objects designed to fulfill pleasure, it doesn't take too long before you begin to--even subconsciously--believe the same thing.
Relationships take a lot of time, effort, energy, effort, patience, and effort.
When seeing how "easy" it is for a relationship to be begun, built, and consumated on TV and Pornography, it is small wonder tha people think that relationships require no effort or emotion.
"Following your heart" seems to be the theme in most media today, when in reality the real theme is "Following your libido".
Emotions are fickle. They change almost constantly, so how can you base your actions on an ever-changing substance?
You can't.
The only thing we can base our actions on is a NEVER-changing substance, The Rock, Jesus Christ, My personal Savior.
Proverbs 28:1 "The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are as bold as a lion,"
7. Condemned
Matthew 5:27-28 "27. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thous shalt not commit adultery:
28. But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hat committed adultery with her already in his heart."
Jesus said that whoever lusts after a woman (i.e. views pornography) has committed adulter. In the Bible, this was a crime punishable by death by stoning.
But Jesus has offered us hope...
Coming Soon - Pornography and the Bible - Part Two
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